December 16, 2011

I love paper Christmas decorations, so when I bumped into The Cheese Thief's woven paper ball tutorial, I had to give it a try. They're curiously addicting. Maybe I should carry some supplies with me to pass the time in long check-out lines, boring holiday parties, or during that weird Choreography number in White Christmas.

These are made out of paper and one piece of tape. You can cut your own strips (mine are 1/2" wide and 11" long, which yields a ball that's about 1 1/4" in diameter) or use shiny paper ribbon.

Hang them individually or glue them onto a wreath form. I'm stringing mine on baker's twine to add to the tree. Taping the end of the twine to a toothpick "needle" makes stringing them easier. I plan to space them out along the string, using a dot of hot glue to hold each ball in place where the twine passes through. Get the weaving instructions here!

So rad! You can show these off at Amber Ink's Pinny Party, where we show off things we learned on the internet (on pinterest) these look like they'd totally fit the bill. I love the neon colors too. http://amberinklings.blogspot.com/2011/12/pinny-party-4.html

Fun paper balls! And I totally agree with you on that song..ugh, I actually hate it. White Christmas has been a favorite (all year!) of my youngest daughter since she was 3. She is now 16. Yes, I have had to listen to that song that many times... Thank goodness we all love the rest of the movie.

Best part about this? If you are making single-colored balls, you don't even need the piece of tape. Just cut a strip twice as wide as you need, then slice it in half to about 1/2 inch from the top. Voila -- perfect strips, and no need for tape!

[Discovery of which was mostly born out of necessity, since I didn't have any tape on hand...]